New Japan Cup night four results: Hirooki Goto vs. SANADA
Night four of the 2019 New Japan Cup was held today in Kagawa, with the final four matches of the first round taking center stage.
After a wild night three, which featured the standout matchup of the first round between Kota Ibushi and Tetsuya Naito, Monday’s show featured less star power on top, with Hirooki Goto and SANADA headlining.
The tag team action on the undercard was strong, perhaps planned that way, given that two of the tournament matches later were short bouts with a comedy focus.
Full results and recaps are below:
TAIJI ISHIMORI, BAD LUCK FALE, HIKULEO & CHASE OWENS DEFEATED JUICE ROBINSON, YOSHI-HASHI, MICHAEL ELGIN & YUYA UEMURA
Everyone looked good here. YOSHI-HASHI looks much better on this tour than he did on the last. Ishimori got the win for his team, tapping out Uemura with a LeBell Lock.
Bullet Club beat down YOSHI-HASHI after the match. Owens and YH face off on Wednesday in a New Japan Cup match.
TETSUYA NAITO, EVIL, BUSHI & SHINGO TAKAGI DEFEATED HIROYOSHI TENZAN, YUJI NAGATA, MANABU NAKANISHI & REN NARITA
Naito was only in a little, but he showed no ill effects from his war with Ibushi last night. Takagi and Nagata had a nice sequence. Narita showed great heart, but eventually tapped to a very sloppy crab from BUSHI.
KOTA IBUSHI & TOMOAKI HONMA DEFEATED ZACK SABRE JR. & TAKA MICHINOKU
This might have been Honma’s best match since his return. They deviated from the typical patterned Honma tag match. Sabre and TAKA worked over Ibushi’s neck, which took a lot of damage against Naito on Sunday.
The finishing sequence saw Ibushi go for a Kamigoye on TAKA. Sabre cut him off and slapped on an armbar. Honma broke up the armbar with a Kokeshi. Ibushi then nailed TAKA with the Kamigoye and got the pin.
WILL OSPREAY & TOMOHIRO ISHII DEFEATED LANCE ARCHER & TAICHI
A preview of two second round matches here. Good action. Archer picked up a couple of close near falls near the finish, but Ospreay used a crucifix to roll him up for the pin.
Archer laid out Ospreay with a Blackout immediately after the flash pin, while Taichi attacked Ishii with the mic stand.
MIKEY NICHOLLS, TOA HENARE & RYUSUKE TAGUCHI DEFEATED SHOTA UMINO, HIROSHI TANAHASHI & KAZUCHIKA OKADA
Tana and Taguchi began with some comedy. Henare and Umino tagged in, and Henare’s team quickly gained the advantage. They worked over Umino, until the Young Lion was able to connect with a dropkick, then tag Okada.
Okada hit some trademark spots on Henare. Henare hit a Samoan drop and tagged Nicholls. Nicholls got a near fall on Okada, his second round opponent. Nicholls avoided a Tombstone, then ducked a Rainmaker, hitting a spinebuster.
Umino hit a missile dropkick on Nicholls and made a cover, but Taguchi and Henare broke it up. Nicholls hit a sliding lariat, the setup for his Mikey Bomb, and got a two count on Umino. He then connected with the Mikey Bomb to get the pin.
NEW JAPAN CUP FIRST ROUND MATCH: TORU YANO DEFEATED DAVEY BOY SMITH JR. (5:30)
A total Yano comedy match. Smith is super impressive looking, but it just seems like they’re never going to do anything with him, certainly as a singles wrestler. Even as a tag team with Archer, they’re never pushed past a certain level.
Smith chased Yano around the building before the bell. He caught up to him in the ring, and the bell sounded, but the action went back outside right away.
Smith used a chair on Yano. Yano untied a corner pad from the floor and tried to choke Smith with a roll of tape he pulled from his tights, but Smith sent him into the barricade. Smith attacked Yano’s knee, first with a kick over the barricade, then slamming it onto an announcer’s table.
They traded inside cradles. Yano then used a schoolboy for the pin.
NEW JAPAN CUP FIRST ROUND MATCH: COLT CABANA DEFEATED TOGI MAKABE (7:26)
This didn’t have a lot of time to build, and they got into the near falls almost right away. Two solid pros had a solid outing here.
Cabana tried to score a quick victory with some underhanded tactics at the outset, tripping Makabe. They did some comedy, before things got more serious, as Makabe started working over Cabana’s legs.
Cabana used a delayed splash off the top and picked up a near fall. Cabana blocked a northern lights suplex, but Makabe got a near fall off a powerslam. Cabana blocked the spider German, then missed a moonsault off the top.
Makabe hit a DVD, but missed with the King Kong Kneedrop off the top. Cabana used a diving Superman cover, trapping Makabe’s legs, and got the pin.
NEW JAPAN CUP FIRST ROUND MATCH: MINORU SUZUKI DEFEATED SATOSHI KOJIMA (13:43)
This was a very good, perfectly-paced match between two veterans.
Kojima went right at Suzuki and scored some early offense. Suzuki took control of the match after applying an armbar over the ropes. Suzuki hit a PK on the apron. They brawled into the crowd, where Suzuki broke a chair over Kojima’s head. Kojima beat the count back inside at 19.
Kojima caught a PK, then hit a DDT. Kojima hit his machine gun chops in the corner. Suzuki no-sold them, then connected with a series of strikes in the corner. Kojima no-sold those, then went back to the machine gun chops. They repeated that spot, but this time Suzuki sold the chops.
Kojima went to the top for his elbow drop, but Suzuki cut him off and hit a kick in the corner. Kojima got a slam and went back to the top, this time connecting with the elbow. Suzuki kicked out at two on the ensuing cover.
They traded strikes. Suzuki blocked a Koji Cutter, then applied a sleeper. Kojima countered an attempt to transition to the Gotch-style piledriver, and hit a Koji Cutter. Kojima hit a brainbuster and made a cover, but Suzuki kicked out.
Suzuki hit a series of palm strikes. Kojima backdropped out of another Gotch attempt, then hit a lariat. Kojima connected with a second lariat, and Suzuki kicked out at two.
Kojima went for a third lariat, but Suzuki side-stepped. Suzuki slapped on a rear naked choke, then transitioned to the Gotch, hit the piledriver, and got the pin.
NEW JAPAN CUP FIRST ROUND MATCH: SANADA DEFEATED HIROOKI GOTO (20:47)
I was skeptical that these guys would be able to rise to the occasion, as they are both just a notch below the top guys in the company when it comes to charisma. I was wrong. They proved to be up to the challenge of main eventing. Goto more than held up his end, and SANADA was excellent here, especially with the subtle sell of his right arm.
Goto started off working the left arm, then hit a mid kick. Goto used a chinlock. SANADA caught a second mid kick and went for the Paradise Lock, but Goto escaped. SANADA low-bridged Goto to the floor, then hit a senton off the apron to the floor.
Goto got whipped into the barricade. SANADA tossed him back inside and got a near fall. SANADA used a chinlock. Goto avoided a standing moonsault, but SANADA used a dropkick to a seated Goto to pick up a one count.
They exchanged strikes. After a misdirection spot, Goto hit a short clothesline. He connected with a spinning wheel kick in the corner, then hit a Saito suplex for a two count. Goto teased the Ushigoroshi, but SANADA slipped out, hit his leapfrog dropkick, then a plancha.
They exchanged forearm shots to the neck area, playing off the idea that both guys use finishers that target the neck. They traded more hard shots to the neck in the corner. SANADA took his corner flip bump and went for a springboard attack. Goto cut him off and went for the Ushigoroshi, but SANADA reversed, and hit the Ushigoroshi himself.
SANADA applied the Skull End, but gave up the hold. He went to the top for a moonsault, but missed. Goto hit a lariat. They did a series of counters and reversals, ending with SANADA using a cradle for a two count.
Goto hit Ushigoroshi, then a mid kick. Goto went for the Shouten Kai, but SANADA countered, using a draping neckbreaker. SANADA went for Skull End, but Goto reversed it into an inverted GTR for a near fall.
SANADA got Skull End applied a second time, and again gave up the hold. He went up top, hit a moonsault, and picked up the pin, advancing to the second round. A really good main event.